Archive for the ‘Texas’ Category
Tuesday, November 28th, 2023
You may remember Harris County Democratic Judge Lina Hidalgo from such previous hits as You Stupid Republicans Don’t Get Ballots, You Peasants Have No Right To Learn What I’m Doing, Watch My Aides Get indicted For Corruption, and How Badly Can I Screw Up An Election. Well, here comes yet another legal imbroglio.
A criminal complaint filed against Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo was referred to the Texas Rangers for investigation on Monday according to information obtained by The Texan from Constable Mark Herman’s (Pct. 4) office.
The complaint stems from a press conference Hidalgo held on November 10, the day after news broke that the Texas Rangers would be executing new search warrants in relation to an $11 million COVID-19 vaccine outreach contract the county awarded to a highly connected Democratic strategist in 2021. Hidalgo’s comments were made on county property and livestreamed on the Office of the County Judge’s official social media accounts.
During the event, Hidalgo accused District Attorney Kim Ogg of leaking the new warrants to the media, although they had been posted to the district clerk’s website and were available to the public.
“This is just the same dirty politics she’s been playing out for years,” said Hidalgo, adding that Ogg stood in the way of changes to the criminal justice system.
Knowing Hidalgo’s soft-on-crime approach, maybe it’s best someone did stand in the way of any changes she wants to make.
Ogg is a more interesting figure. She was initially backed by George Soros, but she has edging away from him, and got primaried from the left in 2020 for not being radical enough, and Soros backed primary opponent Audia Jones.
“She’s up for re-election March 5, and I happen to know her opponent Sean Teare,” said Hidalgo. “He is a well-respected, very experienced, strong opponent.”
“I literally spent the day yesterday before this stuff was leaked working on the endorsement of him Monday.”
Under Texas Election Code using an elected office to engage in political advertising is a Class A misdemeanor, and under the Penal Code misuse of government property, services, or personnel constitutes an Abuse of Official Capacity, which could be classified as a misdemeanor or state jail felony depending on the value of the thing misused.
Following the press conference, attorney Mark McCaig filed a civil complaint with the Texas Ethics Commission (TEC) and a criminal complaint with Harris County Constable Precinct 4.
After McCaig made his complaint with the TEC public, video of the press conference was removed from the county’s official social media sites, but the conference is available here.
“Due to nature of the complaints and the allegations being made against an elected official here in Harris County, our office contacted the Texas Department of Public Safety where it was agreed that the Texas Rangers would investigate the allegations made by this complainant,” Herman told The Texan.
I have to think this is pretty small potatoes stuff for the Texas Rangers to investigate, but the law is the law.
More interesting to me is the sheer number of allegations against Hidalgo for various high crimes and misdemeanors, as well as the split between her and Ogg.
Blue-on-Blue tiffs always have a certain fascination…
Tags:Audia Jones, coronavirus, Democrats, Harris County, Holly Hansen, Houston, Kim Ogg, Lina Hidalgo, Mark McCaig, Sean Teare, Texas, Texas Ethics Commission, Texas Rangers
Posted in Democrats, Elections, Texas | 6 Comments »
Monday, November 27th, 2023
Remember how a group of Republican state representatives helped kill school choice in this year’s fourth special session?
Rep. Kyle Kacal (R-College Station) was one of them. He also:
Voted to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Voted to create a “Office of Health Equity Policy” in the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Voted against banning taxpayer-funded lobbying.
Fortunately, we’re no longer going to have him around to do Dade Phalen’s bidding in killing conservative legislation.
Exactly two weeks before the filing deadline for the Texas primary election, state Rep. Kyle Kacal (R-College Station) announced he would not seek re-election to the state House.
The decision is a reversal of his announcement in September that he would seek a seventh term.
The six-term lawmaker characterized Texas as the “envy of the nation” and expressed satisfaction with his record in the Legislature.
Well, that makes one person satisfied with his record.
Republican Ben Bius forced Kacal into a runoff in the March 2022 Republican primary. Bius even had the endorsement of outgoing Rep. Ben Leman (R-Anderson).
Kacal voted for the impeachment of Attorney General Ken Paxton. He also voted for an amendment by Rep. John Raney (R-Bryan) to remove education savings accounts from the public education bill currently under consideration in the fourth special session. Critics of the plan say education savings accounts are operationally the same as vouchers.
During the 87th Legislature in 2021, Kacal joined Democrats and only eight other Republicans to back the expansion of Medicaid.
There were 21 Republicans voting against school choice. Andrew Murr already announced he wasn’t seeking. That leaves twenty more that need to be retired, one way or another.
The 20th, of course, is Dade Phalen…
Tags:2024 Election, Ben Bius, Dade Phelan, Ken Paxton, Republicans, school choice, Texas
Posted in Elections, Republicans, Texas | 6 Comments »
Friday, November 24th, 2023
Happy Black Friday, everyone! (Here’s my prepping/gift guide, if you haven’t seen it already.) I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Some interesting international election results, unreasonable gun control legislation gets struck down in two different states, more legal trouble for Houston Democrats, and a weed company goes bankrupt. It’s the Friday LinkSwarm!
“Bidenomics Is Making This The Most Expensive Thanksgiving In History.”
The average price American families will have to pay to celebrate Thanksgiving with a traditional dinner will be the most expensive in history after years of sky-high inflation that experts attribute partially to President Joe Biden’s policies, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
The price of all goods has risen dramatically under Biden following a period of sustained high inflation, which peaked at 9.1% in March 2022 and has since remained elevated, measuring at 3.2% in October, while the index for food rose 3.3% year-over-year for the month. The total increase in costs for a Thanksgiving dinner is about 26% since the beginning of Biden’s term, culminating in the most expensive Thanksgiving dinner in history.
Don’t buy the cookies. “Girl Scouts To Host Training Sessions On ‘Internalized Racism,’ ‘White Supremacy Culture.'” (Hat tip: Instapundit.)
“While Hamas Planned Its Attack on Israel, Biden’s Intel Community Was Focused On Climate Change.”
To the surprise and shock of the international community, Argentina elects an Anarcho-Capitalist president.
In a surprising turn of events, Argentina has elected the libertarian outsider Javier Milei as its new president. The hotly contested presidential run-off saw Milei defeating left-wing candidate Sergio Massa — a consequential shift in the country’s political landscape. Massa brusquely conceded on Sunday night, stating, “Milei is the president elected for the next four years.”
The victory of Milei, a self-proclaimed “anarcho-capitalist,” introduces an unconventional leader with what are considered to be radical economic views relative to Argentina’s neighbors. His campaign, characterized by anti-establishment rhetoric and metaphorical gestures such as wielding a chainsaw to show his fervor for cutting taxes, resonated with voters frustrated by Argentina’s economic decrepitude, including triple-digit inflation. One of Milei’s key proposals is the adoption of the U.S. dollar as Argentina’s national currency, an unprecedented move for a country of its size (Argentina is home to some 45.8 million people).
Massa — a lifelong politician and representative of Argentina’s left-wing political establishment — emphasized his government’s actions to address inflation during his tenure.
But Milei’s appeal, particularly among the younger generation, suggests a desire for change to break free from the cycle of economic crises.
Milei’s victory has produced excitement and concern alike. While some see him as the catalyst for much-needed economic reforms, others fear the potential austerity measures tied to his plans, such as shutting the central bank and slashing spending. Despite the uncertainty, Milei’s supporters view him as the only viable option to break the political status quo and address Argentina’s persistent and extreme economic challenges.
The election is not just a political shift but also a generational one, with Milei’s popularity among the youth reflecting a desire for a new direction. The effect of Milei’s win extends beyond Argentina’s borders, potentially influencing trade relationships, especially with his criticism of China and Brazil and his preference for stronger ties with the United States. As for the U.S., the hour is late, and we’ll take all the friends we can get, and Argentina is doubly welcome because the Millennium must be nigh if a libertarian won an election outside of New Hampshire.
Note: Linking to MSN rather than NRO because the latter has now raised it’s war against ad-blockers to obnoxious levels. Year-by-year, the TDS-infected NR has become ever-more sad and useless.
Of course, Milei also says Argentina claims sovereignty over The Falklands, so you have to take the bad with the good.
Speaking of election results the international community finds “unacceptable,” Geert Wilders anti-Jhad Freedom Party came in first in elections in The Netherlands.
Geert Wilders, the Dutch populist whose anti-Islam comments have led to death threats, could become the next leader of the Netherlands following an election upset for his Freedom Party (PVV) on Wednesday.
After 25 years in Dutch politics without holding office, Wilders was set to lead coalition government talks and has a good chance of becoming prime minister.
An exit poll on Wednesday evening showed the PVV in a clear lead, 10 seats ahead of its closest rival, Frans Timmermans’ Labour/Green Left combination.
“We will have to find ways to live up to the hopes of our voters, to put the Dutch back as number one”, Wilders said in his first response, adding that “the Netherlands will be returned to the Dutch, the asylum tsunami and migration will be curbed.”
“The 4th Circuit Says Maryland’s Handgun Licensing Law Is Unconstitutional.”
Maryland is one of 14 states that require background checks for all firearm purchases, whether or not the seller is a federally licensed dealer. Since 2013, Maryland has imposed an additional requirement on handgun buyers: They must first obtain a “handgun qualification license,” which entails completing at least four hours of firearm training and undergoing a seemingly redundant “investigation” aimed at screening out people who are legally disqualified from owning guns. According to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit, that process, which can take up to 30 days, violates the Second Amendment.
In a decision published on Tuesday, a divided 4th Circuit panel concluded that Maryland’s handgun ownership licensing system is not “consistent with this Nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation”—the constitutional test that the U.S. Supreme Court established last year in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen. Writing for the majority in Maryland Shall Issue v. Moore, 4th Circuit Judge Julius Richardson notes that Bruen “effected a sea change in Second Amendment law,” making a variety of gun control laws newly vulnerable to constitutional challenges. Maryland’s handgun licensing law is the latest example.
Speaking of unconstitutional gun laws being struck down: “It turns out that bullets are an essential part of a gun, and limiting the number of rounds in a gun violates the Oregon constitution. A county judge in Oregon made that decision on Tuesday overturning Measure 114, a citizen-passed measure that outlawed what gun grabbers call ‘high capacity magazines’ and required that Oregon serfs get a permit to be allowed to purchase a gun.” (Hat tip: Stephen Green at Instapundit.)
Funny how no Arab nation wants to take in Palestinians. They know the simple truth: They suck.
The Palestinians tried to take over Jordan in the 1970s, leading to the late King Hussein declaring war on them and driving them out. They were booted from Kuwait after collaborating with Saddam Hussein’s forces before the Gulf War. They set off a powder keg in Lebanon, a nation that has yet to recover from its brutal civil war that lasted 15 years. No Arab country wants these people because they bring instability and trouble.
(Hat tip: Instapundut.)
California’s Democratic convention gets derailed by all the vibrant diversity.
Outgoing Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner gets to enjoy a new host of scandals on his way out.
As term-limited Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner finishes his final days at the helm of the state’s most populous city, a new set of scandals have emerged over city contracts and a dispute over who will pay for a book touting the mayor’s legacy.
In the most recent dustup, an investigation by Houston’s KPRC 2 discovered that city contracts for much-needed water repairs were awarded to two relatives of Houston Public Works (HPW) employee Patrece Lee, including one for $4.5 million to Lee’s brother, who had only created his company six months before the city council approved the “emergency contracts.”
When KPRC reporter Amy Davis attempted to question Turner about the issue at a public event last week, Turner became irate and told his communications director to escort Davis from the room.
“You are not going to get away with this,” said Turner to Davis. “You are rude.”
Late Friday, HPW Director Carol Haddock announced that the employee had been placed on leave while the city’s Office of the Inspector General investigated the allegations.
In another contract scandal, Houston Landing media reported last week that the Midtown Redevelopment Authority had referred information to law enforcement on a since-fired manager who allegedly steered more than $4 million in taxpayer-funded landscaping contracts to himself and another contractor.
The latest developments came hard on the heels of Turner’s squabble with Houston First Corporation, the city’s marketing organization. During the “State of the City” luncheon last September, hosted by Houston First, attendees were given copies of Turner’s book “A Winning Legacy,” which celebrates the mayor’s accomplishments during his eight years in office.
As first reported by Bill King, Turner told President and CEO Michael Heckman that Houston First must pay a $123,979 invoice for the 600 copies, but Heckman refused, saying it was not in the corporation’s budget and not an appropriate expense. Houston First Chairman David Mincberg later told FOX 26 that the corporation would develop a strategy to raise private funds to pay for the books.
Controversy has also surrounded Turner’s management of city finances. Last year, Controller Chris Brown warned that the city was using $160 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds to plug budget holes and even to cover ongoing expenses.
Speaking of governments in trouble for spending Flu Manchu funds on other priorities, Germany is also in trouble for pulling the same trick after their high court told them to stop. As Europeans, spending within their means is unacceptable, so they’re now plotting to suspend debt limits…
Texas Governor Greg Abbott endorses Donald Trump for President. This is interesting in that Abbott is a careful, cautious Republican, who might be more ideologically inclined to endorse Ron DeSantis or Nikki Haley. That Abbott has endorsed Trump indicates he thinks Trump is a lock for the 2024 nomination. He may be right.
“Stacey Abrams’ Brother-In-Law Arrested, Accused Of Human Trafficking, Choking Underage Girl…Jimmie Gardner, a well-known Georgia-based youth motivational speaker, is accused of human trafficking, lewd or lascivious touching, and battery…According to the Tampa Police Department, Gardner invited a 16-year-old girl to his hotel room in the early hours of Friday, offering to pay her for sexual acts.” Sounds like the wrong sort of youth motivation…
“Paxton Impeachment Leader Andrew Murr Won’t Seek Re-Election.” Good.
Ouch! “450 Patients at Massachusetts Hospital Possibly Exposed to Hepatitis and HIV.”
You know you suck at business when you can’t make money selling pot to Californians. HERBL, California’s largest pot distributor, collapsed with $17 million in unpaid taxes.
Speaking of weed, the Snoop Dogg announcement turned out to be a head fake to flack for a smokeless outdoor fireplace.
Alabama woman with two uteruses is pregnant with twins…one in each womb.
The Critical Drinker liked The Killer.
Wish is shaping up to be the latest Disney box office disaster.
“Palestinian Authority Warns That Gaza Hospitals Running Dangerously Low On Ammunition.”
“10 Clues The Hospital You’re At Is Actually A Hamas Base.
Tags:2024 Presidential Race, Andrew Murr, Argentina, bankruptcy, California, Crime, debt, deficits, Democrats, Disney, Donald Trump, Elections, European Debt Crisis, Gaza, Geert Wilders, Germany, Girl Scouts, Global Warming, Greg Abbott, gun control, Hamas, Holly Hansen, Houston, inflation, Israel, Israel-Hamas War, Javier Milei, Jimmie Gardner, Ken Paxton, Libertarians, LinkSwarm, marijuana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Military, Oregon, Palestinians, Patrece Lee, Regulation, Sergio Massa, Social Justice Warriors, Stacey Abrams, Sylvester Turner
Posted in Austin, Budget, Communism, Crime, Democrats, Economics, Elections, Foreign Policy, Global Warming, Guns, Jihad, Media Watch, Military, Regulation, Social Justice Warriors, Supreme Court, Texas | 3 Comments »
Wednesday, November 22nd, 2023
Since I know many of you will be shopping on Black Friday, here’s A.) Listing some basic cold weather prepping gear, and B.) Providing possible gifts or purchases for items I approve of.
I’ve included Amazon links, but for some items (like batteries), Sam’s or Lowes tends to offer better prices.
The Basics
Here are some all-purpose tools everyone should already have, listed here for completeness sake.
First aid kit: There are a lot of different makes and models of these, and I think Sam’s offers a kit that’s a bit cheaper than this one. Has a little bit of everything. A good thing to keep in your car for emergencies.
Smoke alarm: Everyone should already have these, but if you don’t, or want more, these are cheap, and it has a silence button so you can put it in your kitchen. This batch seems to be made in Mexico, but First Alert also makes stuff in China, so caveat emptor.
Carbon Monoxide detector. Doesn’t say, but I suspect it’s another item made in China. There are some combination carbon monoxide/smoke detectors, but I think you want to avoid the possibility of a single point of failure.
Fire Extinguisher: Every home should have at least one, and make sure it’s not expired. This is what I have (I think it’s made in Mexico), but fortunately I’ve never had to use it.
Water leak detector: A lot of people don’t have these, but I consider them essential basic gear, as they can save you hundreds or thousands of dollars in water damage. I had one of mine go off a week before the ice storm hit because a shutoff valve I had closed to plunge an overflowing toilet had started leaking. Usual made in China caveats apply, but it’s very simple tech (two parallel wires on the exterior that water closes the circuit and sets off when wet). That link goes to a 5-pack, because I recommend putting one behind every toilet, under every sink you use, under your water heater, and next to your washing machine (I’ve had mine start rocking for an unbalanced load that pulled the drain hose loose). (There’s an even cheaper five pack from another manufacturer (also made in China) that I have no experience with.)
Speaking of plunging toilets, I imagine everyone already has a plunger, but if you don’t, here’s one, and you might consider one for each bathroom, or at least each floor. Also, the black bell shaped ones are a lot more effective than the small old red ones.
Speaking of things everyone should already have more of, everyone needs flashlights. I ordered a USB rechargeable flashlight from Amazon by Liaolee that was pretty bright and pretty cheap, but it doesn’t seem available anymore. This Goreit flashlight seems bright, cheap, and gets pretty good reviews. The highest rated flashlight on Amazon is the Streamlight 75458 Stinger DS, which is fairly pricey. I assume it’s brighter and with a longer life, and maybe you have a use case that justifies the cost. And speaking of ridiculous lights I have no use case for…
The IMALENT MS18 is evidently so insanely bright that it has its own cooling fan. Here’s a video of how insane it is. And if you have flashlights, chances are you’ll also need…
Batteries. D-Cells are still used in a lot of things, and you’re going to want, at a minimum, enough to reload every flashlight twice, which should be enough to get you through a couple of evenings of power outages. Check your flashlights every six months when you check your smoke and CO detectors. Speaking of which, those and the water leak detectors take 9 volt batteries, and you want enough around to be able to change out every battery in your detectors as needed. Those links go to Duracells, which I’ve been pretty happy with.
Car jump starter: Much better than jumper cables, and can save you money when you have a dead battery, or because it’s just not cranking in the cold.
Gas And Water Emergency Shut Off Tool. The Orbit 26097 provides a water shutoff valve, a gas shutoff valve, manhole cover lift tool, and a rubberized grip. You need one of these for the same reason you need a water leak detector, i.e. it will greatly limit damage before the plumber gets there.
Sawyer Products Water Filtration System: If you’ve ever been under a water boil notice, the Sawyer system is Good Enough to get you through, even if it is a slight pain to fill and squeeze the bag enough times for my dogs and I to drink (but still less of a pain that boiling water and waiting for it to cool).
Duct tape is useful to have year-round, but especially during an emergency, to patch a small leak or keep something together until the emergency is over and you can replace it. Link goes to 3M all-weather duct tape, which is better than the generic stuff for outside tasks, like sealing around the edge of a faucet cover.
Cold Weather
Here are some specific prep items for cold weather:
Faucet Covers. If you’re a homeowner, you probably already have those, but if not, here they are, and they seem to work better than a rag or dripping the faucet, and neither of my faucets busted in the ice storm. That link goes to the cheap Styrofoam version, but these plastic ones look a bit bigger and stronger.
O’Keeffe’s Working Hands cream: I walk my dogs 2-3 times a day pretty much every single day of the year, and I found my hands getting cracked and raw in the cold, even through gloves. O’Keeffe’s Working Hands fixed the problem. I frequently give this stuff out as Christmas gifts.
Carmex lip balm. A small, cheap jar that solves the chapped lips problem in winter. I know some people prefer Chapstick, but to me the main result of using Chapstick is that 30 minutes later you fell a need to use more Chapstick.
Kerasal Intensive Foot Repair for cracked and painful feet. Podiatrist recommended! Full review here.
De-icing spray. You can stand there for 15 minutes ineffectually scraping your frozen windows like William H. Macy in Fargo, or you can keep a bottle of this in your trunk.
Non-Prep “Stuff You Might Need”
Here are things I’ve bought I’m happy with.
Have trouble getting to sleep at night? Have you tried Melatonin? All I can say is that it works for me (sometimes boosted with generic Acetaminophen PM, which you can buy cheap at Sam’s).
I’d been having trouble finding plain white T-shirts soft enough to sleep in, but these work really well.
Silicone oven mitts: My cousin used these last Thanksgiving and I was impressed with them. They work great and don’t seem to wear out as quickly as cloth mitts do.
If you haven’t seen The Death of Stalin yet, I highly recommend it.
If you’re looking for a fun TV show you haven’t watched before, may I suggest The Barbary Coast? If features a post-Star Trek/pre-T. J. Hooker William Shatner as a master of disguise working to bust criminals in 19th century San Francisco. You get to see him pretend he’s a gypsy, a Mexican, a southern dandy, an Irishman, an old salty sea dog, etc. It’s a hoot and a half.
Speaking of 1970s TV detectives, we’ve been working our way through the complete Rockford Files, and the set is a pretty good value for the money, if you don’t mind the paper sleeves.
If you like offbeat science fiction and fantasy, you might try this two volume Avram Davidson set, set up as print-on-demand books from the Avram Davidson society. At 100 stories, it’s a lot of bang for your buck.
I know I should be better at offering up Amazon offerings to rake in the filthy lucre, but I don’t tend to buy books and DVDs/Blu-rays from them. Mostly the things I buy from Amazon are vitamins and dog treats, which aren’t exactly exciting link fodder…
Tags:ice storm, prepper, Texas, weather
Posted in Texas, Uncategorized | 7 Comments »
Saturday, November 18th, 2023
If you were wondering if the left-leaning cabal behind Dade Phelan would ever let any form of school choice pass the Texas house, now you know.
Following a year of anticipation and four special sessions, the hopes of school choice being passed on the floor of the Texas House have been dashed after an amendment stripped education savings accounts (ESAs) from this special session’s education omnibus bill.
The amendment offered by Rep. John Raney (R-College Station) was initially signed by 16 other members before being passed by a vote of 84 to 63.
Members then voted to lock that change in and prevent the removal from being reconsidered at a later time, a motion which passed by the same margin as Raney’s amendment.
Of the 85 Republicans in the House, those voting in favor of the ESA removal amendment included:
Rep. Steve Allison (R-San Antonio)
Rep. Ernest Bailes (R-Shepherd)
Rep. Keith Bell (R-Forney)
Rep. DeWayne Burns (R-Cleburne)
Rep. Travis Clardy (R-Nacogdoches)
Rep. Drew Darby (R-San Angelo)
Rep. Jay Dean (R-Longview)
Rep. Charlie Geren (R-Fort Worth)
Rep. Justin Holland (R-Rockwall)
Rep. Kyle Kacal (R-College Station)
Rep. Ken King (R-Canadian)
Rep. John Kuempel (R-Seguin)
Rep. Stan Lambert (R-Abilene)
Rep. Andrew Murr (R-Junction)
Rep. Four Price (R-Amarillo)
Rep. John Raney (R-College Station)
Rep. Glenn Rogers (R-Graford)
Rep. Hugh Shine (R-Temple)
Rep. Reggie Smith (R-Sherman)
Rep. Ed Thompson (R-Pearland)
Rep. Gary VanDeaver (R-New Boston)
The ESA removal amendment was supported by all 64 House Democrats.
The names of some of those Republicans voting against school choice should be familiar, as they’ve thwarted Republican priorities in the past:
Allison, Kacel, King, Kuempel, Lambert, Price and Raney all voted to create a “Office of Health Equity Policy” in the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Allison, Bailes, Clardy, Kacel, King, Lambert, Raney and VanDeaver all voted against banning taxpayer-funded lobbying.
Geren was Joe Straus’ righthand man for years, and once had an aide file a false child protective services act against his primary opponent, and was one of the main instigators of the vendetta against Ken Paxton.
All of them except Clardy, Price and Thompson voted in favor of the Paxton impeachment.
Primarying everyone on that list (and, of course, Phelan) would be a good start.
Following the vote, Governor Greg Abbot declared that “the small minority of pro-union Republicans in the Texas House who voted with the Democrats will not derail the outcome that their voters demand,” but it remains unclear how he can move his school choice agenda after this gutting.
Abbott has said he’ll veto and education bills without ESAs. He’s also threatened to keep holding special sessions until school choice passes. We’ll see if he follows through.
Tags:2024 Election, Andrew Murr, Charlie Geren, Dade Phelan, DeWayne Burns, Drew Darby, Ed Thompson, education, Ernest Bailes, Four Price, Gary VanDeaver, Glenn Rogers, Greg Abbott, Hugh Shine, Jay Dean, John Kuempel, John Raney, Justin Holland, Keith Bell, Ken King, Ken Paxton, Kyle Kacal, Reggie Smith, Republicans, school choice, Stan Lambert, Steve Allison, Texas, Travis Clardy
Posted in Republicans, Texas, unions | 12 Comments »
Friday, November 17th, 2023
Progressives kick Jews out of the club, San Francisco cleans up for a communist dictator (but not mere citizens), FBI busts a brothel catering to politicians…then refuses to divulge their clients, and The Marvels crashes and burns on opening weekend. It’s the Friday LinkSwarm!
“Jews Get Kicked Out of the Progressive Club.”
To sustain the alliance between leftists and Islamists, something had to give. And that something was Jews.
After a while, it became a parody worthy of classic comedy skits: the Biden administration’s reflexive need to launch into a condemnation of “Islamophobia” every time the discomfiting topic of antisemitism came up — which, you may have noticed, it does quite a bit these days.
Progressives hate antisemitism. Not, unfortunately, the concept . . . the word. It holds a mirror up to their internal contradictions.
Jews have been among the most consequential, cutting-edge progressives in history. A few months back, I reviewed Democratic Justice, Brad Snyder’s biography of Felix Frankfurter, who may have been as responsible for forging the dominance of American progressivism as Franklin D. Roosevelt, the president he zealously served. Alas, Frankfurter would not be welcome today in what’s become of his movement — not least because of another project on which he collaborated with his mentor and fellow Supreme Court justice, Louis Brandeis: Zionism. That project is anathema to today’s progressives. It honors the old order and the uniqueness of a people reified in their ancestral homeland, one in which they dwelled for millennia — before Islam existed and, 14 centuries later, the notion of “Palestinians” was conceived.
Moreover, to highlight antisemitism is intolerably inconvenient to the collaboration of highest priority for modern progressives: Their partnership with sharia supremacists — so-called Islamists, adherents to “political Islam.”
Snip.
Ostensibly, it’s an unlikely partnership: Sharia supremacists despise many signal progressive causes — e.g., abortion, equality for women, civil rights for homosexuals, and “gender fluidity.” (How long do you figure the “activists” waving their “Queers for Palestine” placards would actually last in Gaza?) And it seems odd for progressives, infamously intolerant of religious liberty, to make common cause with unabashed theocrats who would impose on society a systematically discriminatory legal code enforced by barbaric punishments — of the terrorizing kind that, not coincidentally, the Brotherhood’s Hamas jihadists inflicted on Israeli men, women, and children on October 7.
But let’s dig deeper. The ne plus ultra for sharia supremacists and leftists is the extirpation of the established order. Yes, they have very different ideas about what should replace that order; but that’s an argument for later (at which point progressives would find themselves in the unenviable position of the appeaser after the crocodile is done devouring everyone else). For now, it is a marriage of convenience, a joint war of conquest against Western civilization.
Marriages of convenience are not big on commitment and loyalty. Hence, Jews — predominantly on the left, with legions of stalwart progressives who would as reflexively rebuke Islamophobia as any good Democrat — have become a casualty of that war.
The sharia-supremacist hatred of Jews is doctrinal. As the Hamas Charter relates, Islamic eschatology is consumed by an end-of-times war in which even trees and stones will help Muslims kill their mortal enemies, the Jews. The Islamic claim on the land “from the River to the Sea” also stems from scripture: Mohammed’s night ride from Mecca to Jerusalem and on to heaven. And Muslim scripture further holds that Islam’s prophet died upon being poisoned to death by a Jewish woman.
This is all very uncomfy for progressives. They really don’t do doctrine, let alone submit — or at least allow themselves to appear to be submitting — to religious doctrine. Thus must they engage in euphemistic games to sidestep reality.
“Democrat Media Arm Scrambles As It Becomes Clear They Knew About Hamas Invasion Of Israel Before It Happened. “Reports have been bubbling up that the various tentacles of the Democrat hacktivist media actually had pro-Hamas activists ‘journalists’ embedded with Hamas before and on October 7th.”
Democrats wouldn’t clean up San Francisco for mere citizens, but they did it for a communist dictator.
Apparently, the city of San Francisco can indeed clear out the tent cities of homeless, remove the human feces and hypodermic needles from the sidewalks, and make the downtown look sparking clean and shiny in just a matter of days. All it takes is sufficient motivation — like hosting a visit from Chinese dictator Xi Jinping.
Even the New York Times can’t deny the irony that the arrival of Xi and a plethora of overseas leaders is spurring efforts that, presumably, could have been started and carried out at any point with enough motivation:
On Market Street, the city’s main thoroughfare, maintenance workers resurfaced uneven sidewalks and installed plywood over empty tree wells.
Nearby, a crew gave a long-derelict plaza a makeover by turning it into a skateboard park and outdoor cafe with ping-pong tables, chess boards and scores of potted plants. Elsewhere, workers painted decorative crosswalks and new murals, wiped away graffiti, picked up piles of trash and removed scaffolding to show off a refurbished clock tower at the Ferry Building. . . .
Perhaps the most obvious change has been seen at the Speaker Nancy Pelosi Federal Building at the corner of Seventh and Mission Streets, less than a mile from the conference center.
Before we go any further, can I just point out how infuriating it is that we live in a country with so many genuinely heroic, inspiring, and under-recognized figures, and yet we name things after politicians whose greatest achievements were bringing back a lot of federal funds to their constituents? I realize in the state of West Virginia, that statement is blasphemy.
In a perfect irony, in August, “Officials at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services advised hundreds of employees in San Francisco to work remotely for the foreseeable future due to public safety concerns outside the Nancy Pelosi Federal Building on Seventh Street.” As Iowa GOP senator Joni Ernst noticed, to protect the building named after the House speaker who said that border walls are “immoral,” federal officials put up a high chain-link fence.
In other words, the official assessment of the federal government is that the Nancy Pelosi Federal Building is not a safe place for anyone, which strikes me as a heavy-handed metaphor.
Anyway, back to the Xi-driven cleanup:
For two years, a stubborn fentanyl market at the corner and a sprawling homeless encampment across the street became neighborhood fixtures. People regularly used drugs in an adjacent alley.
Most have seemingly disappeared in a poof…
It’s almost like the city government of San Francisco perceives Xi Jinping as the boss it needs to impress, instead of the voters whose exorbitant taxes (including an 8.625 percent sales tax!) pay city employees’ salaries. If the city is worth making safer, cleaner, and more attractive for a visit by Xi, President Biden, and a whole bunch of diplomats . . . why isn’t it worth making safer, cleaner, and more attractive for the full-time residents?
Why indeed.
“Newsom Assures Homeless They Can Resume Pooping On Sidewalks Once His Boss Leaves.”
“Californians Set Up President Xi Dummy So Newsom Will Keep The Cities Clean All The Time.”
Thinks that make you go Hmmmm: “DOJ Protects D.C. Brothel Customers… As Congress Votes For New FBI Facility.”
Two tightly connected things happened in Washington, D.C., on November 8: a “high-end” brothel serving “elected officials” was shut down by the FBI, and the U.S. House approved a controversial $300 million new headquarters building for the weaponized agency.
In announcing the brothel’s bust, the Department of Justice explained that the sex-trafficking operation served “elected officials, high tech and pharmaceutical executives, doctors, military officers, government contractors that possess security clearances, professors, attorneys, scientists and accountants, among others.”
The press release named the brothel operators: Han “Hana” Lee, 41, of Cambridge, MA; James Lee, 68, of Torrance, CA; and Junmyung Lee, 30, of Dedham, MA.
In lurid detail, the Department of Justice explained how the operators advertised their services—primarily young Asian women—for high-end customers. In order to utilize the prostitution services of the brothel, prospective clients allegedly completed “a form providing their full names, email address, phone number, employer and reference if they had one.”
Not mentioned in the press release were the names of the customers.
The announcement was made just ahead of a vote in the U.S. House, which would have defunded the $300 million new headquarters building proposed for the FBI. The facility, to be built in Maryland, will reportedly be larger than the Pentagon. The Pentagon has a total floor area of 6.5 million square feet and offices 23,000 military and civilian employees.
Dispatches from the Biden Recession: “Stellantis offers buyouts to roughly half of U.S. salaried workers.” Stellantis consumed the corpse of Chrysler several years back.
“Taibbi: According To Pundits, ‘Ignorance’ Makes Americans Give “Wrong” Answers To Economic Confidence…The Guardian editorial Krugman linked to explains: Americans continue to believe the economy sucks, even though they’ve been told over and over it doesn’t! Why won’t they listen?…I can’t remember an instance of newspapers polling Americans about their feelings, then telling them their answers are not only wrong, but ignorant!
“Pro-Palestinian” protestors are anti-American protestors:
(Hat tip: The Daily Gator.)
Gaza kids say the darndest things…about killing Jews. “I want to stab them again and again.”
Speaking of which, what better accessory is there for a little girls room than a cache of rocket launchers?
Tim Scott is out. Like so many in this presidential campaign cycle, he made himself less, not more, electable by taking the wrong side in the culture war.
Texas Republican congressman Michael Burgess will not seek reelection.
This is a weird story: “Congressman Pat Fallon (R-TX-4), who had filed to run for Texas Senate District (SD) 30, has now backed out and will instead run for re-election to his currently held congressional seat.” Being a state senator is all well and good, but who steps down from a U.S. Congressional seat to a state senate seat?
Austin police officer Jorge Pastore was killed in the line of duty early Saturday morning.
“Texas: Islamic scholar praises Gazans for having ‘thrown horror’ in the hearts of the Israelis.” That would be Mohamad Baajour of the East Plano Islamic Center.
Another week, another liberal journalist charged with child pornography.
A BuzzFeed feature story from 2018 about a journalist who told a group of schoolchildren that he was gay was taken down just a day after it was announced that he had been brought up on child pornography charges.
Slade Sohmer, 44, the former editor-in-chief of the left-leaning video-driven news site The Recount, was freed on $100,000 bail on Monday after he was charged in Massachusetts court with possessing and disseminating “hundreds of child pornography images and videos.”
He has pleaded not guilty to two counts of possession of child pornography and two counts of dissemination of child pornography.
(Hat tip: The Other McCain.)
“Germany’s Rheinmetall to supply Ukraine with 25 Leopard-1 tanks.”
Asianometry takes a deep dive into Nvidia’s radical new computational lithography method for generating semiconductor masks. I know a whole lot of eyes just glazed over, but this stuff is important, and I don’t think any other bloggers are covering semiconductors. And speaking of eyes…
World’s first whole eyeball transplant performed. No vision yet, but doctors are hopeful.
Rosalynn Carter joins her husband in hospice care.
Texas A&M head football coach Jimbo Fisher just got paid $77 million to go away. Nice work if you can get it…
The Marvels officially has the worst opening weekend of any MCU film. Yes, worse than the Ed Norton Hulk.
Speaking of disasterous superhero films, Critical Drinker goes over the compounding errors of the never-to-be-released Batgirl movie. Surprisingly, the film itself was reportedly not that bad, it’s just a cascading series of studio decisions made the film nonviable.
Snoop Dogg says he’s giving up weed. And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.
A tale of two Halloween lights.
“Hamas Says All The AK-47s Found In Gaza Hospital Were Strictly For Medicinal Use.”
“Thousands Already Lined Up For Black Friday After Grocery Store Offers Prices From When Trump Was President.”
Tags:2024 Election, 2024 Presidential Race, 4th Congressional District, anti-semitism, Arab-Israeli Wars, Austin, Austin Police Department, automobiles, Babylon Bee, Biden Recession, California, cars, China, Crime, Critical Drinker, DC Comics, Democrats, Disney, Elections, FBI, Foreign Policy, Gavin Newsom, gay, Gaza, Hamas, Han "Hana" Lee, Hollywood, Israel-Hamas War, James Lee, Jews, Jihad, Jimbo Fisher, Jimmy Carter, Junmyung Lee, Leopard 1, LinkSwarm, marijuana, Marvel, Media Watch, Michael Burgess, Michael Quinn Sullivan, Military, Mohamad Baajour, Nvidia, Palestinians, Pat Fallon, pedophilia, Plano, Republicans, Rheinmetall, Rosalynn Carter, Russia, Russo-Ukrainian War, San Francisco, Semiconductors, Slade Sohmer, Stellantis, tanks, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas State Senate District 30, Tim Scott, Ukraine, Xi Jinping
Posted in Austin, Communism, Crime, Democrats, Economics, Elections, Foreign Policy, Jihad, Media Watch, Military, Republicans, Social Justice Warriors, Supreme Court, Texas | 4 Comments »
Monday, November 13th, 2023
The turmoil resulting from the disasterous tenure of Wayne LaPierre has now dragged on for over four years. La Pierre’s scorched earth policy for hanging on to power is dragging the NRA down with him.
John Richardson at No lawyers – Only Guns and Money has a dive into the NRA’s finances, and it isn’t pretty.
Revenue continues downward spiral as expenses (mostly legal) will likely increase in 2023-2024.
Net Income losses will likely continue 2023-2024.
Cash on hand is $12M and monthly expenses are $19M.
Recommended minimum cash on hand should be $57M.
Additional cash required to cover -$26m projected operating loss for 2023.
Additional cash required for contract liabilities of $40M to paid during 2023
Additional cash required to cover principal loan payments due in total of $28M during 2024.
Line of Credit and other Notes jumped 78%.
Increasing debt through loans to cover general operating expenses.
Capitalizes computers in excess of $500 and other fixed assets greater than $1,500.
Capitalization of purchases is artificially low and reduces expenses in order to boost net income.
Assets due from the NRA foundation are $31M and inflate the NRA balance sheet.
Most of the NRA foundations assets due have donor restrictions and cannot be used for general expenses.
All this adds up to a big cash crunch coming down. Hardly the sign of a well-run organization.
Richardson also links to a post that suggests La Pierre has already decided to move the NRA to Texas.
Here’s confirmation that [Wayne LaPierre’s Virginia home] is for sale, and of its ownership. Reports of a planned NRA move to Texas can be considered 100% confirmed, and in the near future. The listing has been on Realtor.com for 46 days, so the listing began in late September. The decision to move must have been finalized before then. We’re hearing rumors of offices having been leased in Irving.
We’re told that this was not discussed at the last board meeting, and that the Relocation Committee has not met in over two years. This is being done without any board input. It’s the bankruptcy lawsuit all over again. There is also no indication that the NRA’s employees have ever been told. Let’s amend that. We can assume that a handful of insiders in HQ have been told to make ready, and that everyone else is considered disposable.
The move to Texas itself is not unexpected. In August, there was a story that the NRA was closing in on a new headquarters in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. And indeed, there are sound reasons to move to the Lone Star State, though Wayne and his cronies are pulling the trigger way too late to save themselves from the legal difficulties that have ensnared them in New York. But the manner in which they’re doing it, in the dead of night without informing the board of membership, reeks of an organization ruled by a corrupt cabal for their own self-interests that are effectively divorced from the organization’s membership.
To quote myself from a previous post:
Jerry Pournelle’s Iron Law of Bureaucracy states that in any bureaucratic organization there are two kinds of people: Those devoted to the goals of the organization, and those dedicated to the organization itself. “The Iron Law states that in every case the second group will gain and keep control of the organization. It will write the rules, and control promotions within the organization.” LaPierre’s NRA has clearly been captured by the second group. Or to put it another way: “Every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business, and eventually degenerates into a racket.” LaPierre’s NRA has become a racket. The NRA exists to serve its members and protect the Second Amendment, not to serve and protect Wayne LaPierre.
At least that’s the way it should be. Lots of captains have gone down with their ship, but LaPierre’s refusal to step aside for the good of the organization is a case of the captain taking the ship down with him.
Not a dime until Wayne resigns.
Tags:fraud, Guns, John Richardson, Metroplex, NRA, Texas, Wayne LaPierre
Posted in Guns, Texas | 12 Comments »
Thursday, November 9th, 2023
Remember the Cypress-Fairbanks ISD school board election that Ted Cruz endorsed in? His endorsements certainly didn’t hurt, as conservatives looking to oust social justice board members took three of four seats and now control six of seven seats on the board.
After a fraught election that drew a flurry of endorsements from partisan groups and high-profile elected officials, three conservative-backed candidates have won races for the board of the state’s third-largest school district.
According to unofficial results posted Tuesday night, Todd LeCompte, Justin Ray, and Christine Kalmbach were the victors in Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District (CFISD) board elections for Positions 1, 3, and 4.
The three candidates garnered endorsements from Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), state Rep. Tom Oliverson (R-Cypress), and Harris County County Commissioner Tom Ramsey (R-Pct. 3).
“This is a major victory for the CFISD community, and the State of Texas. Flipping the third largest school board in Texas is because we focused on empowering parents and getting back to the basics in the classroom,” said Christopher Zook, consultant and spokesperson for the GOP-backed candidates in a statement to The Texan.
“It is abundantly clear that despite efforts from radical activists, parents and voters just want a good education for their children. Additionally, thank you to Senator Ted Cruz for engaging in this race, and fighting for conservative values not only in Washington, but at the most local level, the school board.”
Vying for Position 1, GOP-backed candidate LeCompte captured 43.7 percent compared to 38 percent for Tonia Jaeggi and 18 percent for Cleveland Lane, Jr. Jaeggi had been endorsed by the local chapter of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) union and Lane had been endorsed by state Rep. Jon Rosenthal (D-Houston) and former CFISD board member John Ogletree, Jr.
CFISD does not hold runoff elections, meaning the candidate with the most votes is declared a winner in the first round.
Julie Hinaman, the only incumbent to run for re-election this year, held on to her seat with 45 percent in a tight three-way race in which right-of-center groups split their endorsements between former CFISD Trustee George Edwards, who secured 43 percent, and local activist Ayse Indemaio, who received 11 percent.
In Position 3, former Jersey Village Mayor Ray won with 43.5 percent, beating out AFT candidate and former Cy-Fair Houston Chamber of Commerce President Leslie Martone who took 39.1 percent, and adjunct professor Michelle Fennick with 17 percent.
In the two-way race for Position 4, former GOP candidate for Texas House Kalmbach defeated former teacher Frances Ramirez Romero 51 percent to 49 percent.
Snip.
Parents in CFISD have grown increasingly vocal in opposition to elements of critical race theory being embedded in curricula and age-inappropriate books in school libraries.
In 2021, three conservative candidates successfully challenged incumbents for the CFISD board, but the minority coalition has been easily overruled by other trustees on the seven-member board.
The four candidates backed by the AFT, Jaeggi, Hinaman, Martone, and Ramirez Romero, ran as a slate under the moniker “ALL4CFISD.” Rosenthal backed all but Jaeggi, instead throwing his support to Lane. Rosenthal and local Democratic Party groups activated a well-coordinated campaign effort of blockwalking and phone banking for the candidates.
Right-of-center organizations and GOP elected officials were largely unified in support for their own slate of candidates, chosen through a series of forums with local Republican precinct chairs earlier this year. However, a few precinct chairs who were dissatisfied with the top four candidates broke with the party to back Indemaio. As a result, conservative voters split their support in Position 2, handing Hinaman a second full term on the board.
For some reason this image comes to mind:
With Tuesday’s unofficial results, GOP-backed candidates now hold a 6 to 1 majority and will be able to exert more control over district policy.
Conservative/sane school board candidates don’t always win, but average parents don’t want school boards secretly grooming their children or teaching the poison of critical race theory. When properly organized and united, conservative school board candidates have solid fighting chances to win.
Again, if it can happen in San Francisco, it can happen with your school board.
Tags:2023 Elections, Ayse Indemaio, Christine Kalmbach, Christopher Zook, Cleveland Lane Jr., Critical Race Theory, Cypress-Fairbanks ISD, Democrats, Elections, Frances Ramirez Romero, George Edwards, Holly Hansen, Julie Hinaman, Justin Ray, Republicans, Social Justice Warriors, Ted Cruz, Todd LeCompte, Tom Oliverson, Tom Ramsey, Tonia Jaeggi
Posted in Economics, Republicans, Supreme Court, Texas | 3 Comments »
Wednesday, November 8th, 2023
Passing school choice was Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s top priority when he declared a third special session. Dade Phalen, and the left-leaning cabal backing him, had other priorities, namely taking long weekends instead of getting legislative work done. This is despite the Senate passing school choice legislation early in the special session.
Now Abbott has responded to Phelan’s sloth and antipathy to school choice with another special session.
Almost as soon as the third special session of 2023 ended, the fourth one began as Gov. Greg Abbott issued his proclamation setting the start for the next special session for 5 p.m. Tuesday — the same day the previous one came to a close.
The fourth special session is an attempt to pull items across the finish line that stalled out during the October special, including an education savings account program, the creation of a penalty for illegal entry into the state from a foreign nation, border barrier funding, and a medley of school funding measures.
The proclamation includes:
Creating an education savings account program
Providing a pay raise to teachers and other school employees
Increasing school funding through the basic student allotment
Additional school safety and security measures
Establishing a state penalty for illegal entry into Texas from a foreign nation, with removal language for state law enforcement
Appropriating more funding for the construction of border barriers
Allotting more state dollars to fund overtime expenses associated with the Texas Department of Public Safety’s operations in Colony Ridge,/li>
Abbott said, “The Texas Legislature made progress over the past month protecting Texans from forced COVID-19 vaccinations and increasing penalties for human smuggling.”
“However, there is more work to be done. I am immediately calling lawmakers back for Special Session #4 to complete their critical work to empower Texas parents to choose the best education pathway for their child while providing billions more in funding for Texas public schools and continuing to boost safety measures in schools.”
He continued, “We must pass laws that will enhance the safety of all Texans by increasing funding for strategic border barriers and mirroring the federal immigration laws President Joe Biden refuses to enforce. Texas will also arrest people for illegal entry into our state from a foreign nation, and authorize the removal of anyone who illegally enters our state, with penalties up to 20 years in prison for refusing to comply with removal. To crack down on repeated attempts to enter Texas illegally, illegal re-entry will be penalized with up to 20 years in prison. I look forward to working with members of the Texas Legislature to better secure Texas and pass school choice for all Texas families.”
The school choice issue never really got off the ground in the House during the third special. The Senate passed its plan, but the House never held a hearing on its proposal.
In the final days, Abbott announced that there was a deal struck, but subsequent statements by Speaker Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont) and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick indicated there wasn’t — at least not one that could be sped through the process in time before the 30-day clock ran out.
Also:
The other items that also stalled out in the Legislature during the third special session include a $1.5 billion appropriation for border barrier construction, the Senate’s version of which encompassed $40 million for state law enforcement overtime aimed at Colony Ridge, and the creation of a state offense for illegal entry into Texas from a foreign nation.
Now it remains to be seen if Phelan is willing to get his ass in gear, or if the cabal backing him is going to go all out to prevent school choice from being passed in Texas.
Stay tuned…
Tags:88th Texas Legislative Session, Colony Ridge, Dade Phelan, Dan Patrick, education, Greg Abbott, Republicans, school choice, Special Session
Posted in Regulation, Republicans, Texas | 7 Comments »
Tuesday, November 7th, 2023
This is your reminder to go out and vote today if you live in Texas or any other state having an off-year election.
Here are my Texas constitutional amendment recommendations.
Here are my Williamson and Travis County bond election recommendations, as well as Round Rock ISD.
Here are Williamson County voting locations.
Here are Travis County voting locations.
Tags:2023 Elections, Elections, Texas, Texas Constitutional Amendment, Travis County, Williamson County
Posted in Economics, Elections, Texas, Uncategorized | 3 Comments »